Green Bay, Wisconsin – Next week, the Green Bay Packers will host a pre-visit to face the Michigan midfield offensive that began their collegiate run with a narrow end.
No, it’s not Bernard Rayman. Instead, it’s his friend, Luke Goedeke, a potential Day Two pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Goedeke, a native of Whitelaw, which is about 45 miles south of Green Bay, began his career at Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He had 12 passes in 2017 but was not satisfied with being a rookie.
“Being a kid in Wisconsin, I’ve gone to more than 20 Badger games in my life, the red and white Badger has bled through and through,” Goedeke at the Scouting Combine said. “So, that was my dream to go play for the Badgers and play in the NFL one day. Unfortunately, in high school, to be honest, I didn’t have a hiring process. I was a two-star negative, if you can believe it.”
So, Goedeke went to Stevens Point, where he worked in two majors (Chemical Engineering and Paper Science) while on a two-year plan.
“I had this mentality like, ‘Okay, I have to start somewhere. “I am not giving up on this dream,” said Guedecki. “That’s not who I am at the end of the day. I’m a grinder. So, I played in a Division III school, and ended up being a real freshman, and then I had a two-year plan to try and transfer to a Division I school. It’s amazing, thank God, that It only took one.”
Goedeke collected some of his playing tape and sent it to Wisconsin and central Michigan. The Badger offered him the opportunity to walk; Central Michigan — coached by former Packers Special Teams coordinator John Bonamijo — offered him a scholarship.
The transition to offensive handling began with a lack of boots.
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“Funny story,” he said. “I get to Central and they’re like, ‘Okay, you’re going to get your shot on a tight end. I go to the equipment room, and of course, they tell me the only cleats they have are the offensive line cleats. So, I was in fall camp the first week, and a week and a half run ways in the offensive line cleats, just slipped and slipped all over the place.
“I finally sat down with our tight coach (Tavita Thompson) who used to play attacking with Oregon State and just asked him, ‘What can I do to get on the field here and help this team win? “He just talked about moving up front. They told me last year, and I had a feeling this was the plan all along, to just take me up front.”
The bulk of this transformation has been nutrition. The 250-pound narrow end With the Pointers, it took a lot of work — and a lot of calories — to make the 312-pounder he was at Combine. During the peak transition period, he consumed about 6,500 calories per day. This doesn’t mean putting “craps” into his body, but instead eating the right foods and plenty of them over the course of six or seven meals.
“I’ve been trying to drown myself and eat until I can no longer eat, feel like I’m going to vomit and other things,” he said. “But I knew I had to gain weight to play center and I’m all about position, so I’m going to grind in the weight room and eat my ass at the end of the day.”
Goedeke was up 295 pounds in 2019, when all 14 games started with the right interference. He missed 2020 with a knee injury, then started all 10 of his games in 2021. According to Pro Football Focus, he only allowed seven pressures overall. In a running game based on the Central Michigan area, his 0.3 percent drop rate was the best in the draft category, according to Sports Info Solutions.
Goedeke measured 6 feet, 5, 312 pounds at the Scouting Combine. He sat at the Senior Bowl, Combine, pro with a hamstring injury. With a 32 1/4-inch lever, it may be destined to move indoors to guard.
Whatever the position, Goedeke is ready for it. He warmed up to all the line’s horizons with O-line teacher Paul Alexander and former Central Michigan star and NFL star Luke Staley.
“My mentality is really, at the end of the day, I know I’m going to be a key player in the league in the tackle, the center or the goalkeeper,” he said. “I want to be a versatile player at the end of the day. I think I can be great in any of those positions, and whichever team they see is right for me, I’m going to lose my ass and work lately to be the best I can be for them. And then, just having that back-up versatility , sort of, it’s kind of a two-in-one, but still maintains the junior role.”
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